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ALL AT SEA AUGUST 2019
NEWS SNAPS ONBOARD FESTIVAL
There was a great turnout of youngsters at the Portsmouth RYA OnBoard Festival. 43 OnBoarders, all under 14, enjoyed a day of junior sailing at the Andrew Simpson Watersports Centre. Children from the ASWC OnBoard programme and other clubs and organisations around the area went along. They enjoyed games and sessions on the water, where they got to have a go at dinghy sailing challenges and games, as well as stand up paddleboarding, kayaking and windsurfing.
WINNING TEENS
Milly and Vita. Image: Paul Wyeth
Lymington teenagers Milly Boyle and Vita Heathcote have clinched the 420 world championship crown after a thrilling finale in Vilamoura, Portugal. The pair dominated the week-long regatta, notching up eight top 10 finishes including three wins over the 10-race series. The sailors have risen through the ranks of the British Youth Sailing programme; last year they represented the British Youth Sailing Team at the Youth World Championships, finishing in second.
A RIGHT ROYAL RECEPTION HER Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Patron UKSA (national youth maritime training charity) hosted a reception at St James’s Palace to celebrate the success of fundraising efforts for new facilities at UKSA’s centre in West Cowes. Her Royal Highness thanked guests, including supporters, UKSA graduates now working on yachts and in watersports and UKSA friends and encouraged efforts to raise funds to continue, as the next phase of the Building Better Futures landmark campaign begins. UKSA is undertaking a major redevelopment in West Cowes – the largest ever investment in its 30-year history. With £1m secured to date it has so far been able to purchase four new yachts, refurbish shower and changing facilities and redevelop the old Cowes Youth Hall into a new maritime training centre with training class rooms, navigation training simulator and a Superyacht training galley for hospitality training courses. The gym and sports hall have also been refurbished and will be available to the local community. Ben Willows, UKSA CEO said: “Building Better Futures is about enabling more young people from all walks of life and backgrounds to come to UKSA. It is about creating an environment where not only our teaching and activities are world class but also our facilities.”
The Princess Royal said during the event, “UKSA is a very special charity in that it works with such a range of young people from disadvantaged Year 6 children having their first experience away from home and on-the-water, through to students working towards a career in the maritime industry. I am delighted to be here tonight and lend my support to helping this charity realise the potential of more young people in this country.” In further news from the charity, UKSA is launching a new fullyfunded foundation course for young people aged 16 who have just finished their GCSEs and are looking to start a career in the maritime industry. The Maritime Foundation course will provide learners with skills and qualifications that demonstrate their competency to work as a seafarer. The two-year course is suitable for those with little to no experience of the maritime sector as it will provide all essential skills, qualifications and knowledge for entry level positions, thanks to the 60/40 split of practical and theory training. UKSA Open Day: 23 August from 1.30pm. www.uksa.org/about-us/open-days
UKSA Patron, HRH The Princess Royal in conversation with UKSA CEO Ben Willows (middle) and UKSA Chair William Garnett (right)
RNLI ASSISTS YACHT ON FIRE The yacht on fire viewed from the AllWeather Boat with Typhoon Tow hosing it down. Image: RNLI/Ian Cannon
POPULAR CANALS
The number of boats on London’s canals has reached a record high with an 84 per cent increase in the last five years. The figures, from the Canal & River Trust’s annual boat count, show the number of boats stands at 4,326 compared to 2,326 in 2012. The amount of boats without a home mooring in the capital has risen by 246 per cent, from 638 in 2012 to 2,208 this year. To cope with the demand, the Trust is to spend £67,000 carrying out improvements.
MDL’S NEW PARTNER
SUNSEEKER PROFITS
Luxury motor yacht manufacturer Sunseeker International saw a substantial growth in gross margins and retained profit in 2018. Profits grew from £1.1m in 2017 to £6.6m in 2018, a £5.5m increase. Overall group (Sunseeker International Holdings Ltd) revenue was £299.8m in 2018, with gross margins increasing by 39 per cent (£9.8m) from £25.5m in 2017 to £35.3m in 2018.
JACKIE’S SUPERYACHT Chinese shipyard Jinlong has launched its flagship superyacht project commissioned by martial artist and actor Jackie Chan. Measuring 46.5m, the fullaluminium yacht can reach a top speed of 21 knots and is designed to cruise at 19 knots.
RAMSGATE’S All-Weather Lifeboat was launched to a yacht on fire with a view to towing it back to Ramsgate. Whilst the Ramsgate lifeboat Esme Anderson made its way, the North East Spit pilot launch, which was passing by, saw the boat alight and headed in its direction. The pilot boat retrieved the family of three male adults and one teenage boy from their life raft. Also during this time a wind farm support vessel, Typhoon Tow, had arrived on the scene and, using their fire hose, attempted to put the fire out. When the all-weather boat arrived the volunteer RNLI crew set up two further fire hoses and assisted in trying to put the fire out. After about 45 minutes of hosing the vessel down, it took on sea water, as the level of the hull had burnt to the sea level,
and it sank, fortunately into water deep enough to not cause any issues to other passing boats. The family said it was their maiden voyage in their yacht having collected it from Ipswich, with the intention of a family holiday sailing it around the South Coast and back to their home in the North of England. The fire had occurred when they switched the engine off, six miles off the North Foreland with the intention of putting the sails up to go sailing. The experienced crew of the yacht, who were all wearing lifejackets, called Mayday then attempted to fight the fire with the two on board fire extinguishers but realised that they were unable to contain it so launched their life raft and evacuated the yacht.
MDL Marinas is the Official Marina Partner of the British Keelboat League and RS Sailing. This partnership will see MDL Marinas providing the new fleet of RS 21 keelboats with easy access to the water during the British Keelboat League events taking place throughout 2019. This support ensures that the teams are located close to the start line at Hamble Point Marina with direct access to the Solent and Queen Anne’s Battery, minutes from Plymouth Sound. The participating sailing crews and organisers will also enjoy access to the marinas’ facilities. All the boats for the events are provided by the British Keelboat League, which ensures fair competition
across the board, and the new RS 21 keelboat makes up the majority of the 2019 fleet. “We are delighted to be able to support the British Keelboat League. Getting sailors out on the water and promoting sailing in such an inclusive way is something that MDL whole heartedly endorses,” said Mike Glanville, MDL Marinas managing director. “We look forward to welcoming the teams to our MDL marinas.” MDL’s Hamble Point and Queen Anne’s Battery marinas offer annual, summer and monthly ‘trailer sailor’ packages designed specifically with keelboat sailors in mind. www.britishkeelboatleague.co.uk / www.mdlmarinas.co.uk
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Image: Wendy Davies